Jamaica’s Constitutional Court has ruled that three national television stations can legally refuse to screen a paid public service announcement promoting greater tolerance for homosexuals

The Constitutional Court of Jamaica has thrown out a law suit against three television stations that refused to screen a paid for public service announcement promoting tolerance of gays and lesbians in the Caribbean island nation.

Justices Paulette Williams, Bryan Sykes and Leighton Pusey found that the state owned Public Broadcasting Corporation of Jamaica (PBCJ) network could not screen the commercial as it does not screen any kind of paid advertisement.

Jamaican Assistant Police Commissioner Devon Watkis has claimed that LGBTs are no more at risk of being victims of crime than other Jamaicans despite a rash of homophobic attacks in the Caribbean nation

Jamaica’s Assistant Commissioner of Police has claimed that LGBT people are no more at risk of being victims of crime than any other group in the face of a series of homophobic hate crimes in the island nation.

Young Jamaican activist Matthew Thomas examines how Christians in his own country, and Nigeria, Georgia, Uganda and Russia, are seeking to silence LGBT people

Freedom of speech is at the core of democracy in the free world. We all have a duty to uphold free speech as without it democracy ceases to exist.

Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, states: ‘Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.’

Javed Jaghai has so enraged previously conflicting religious groups in Jamaica they have done the unthinkable; unite!

In the first-ever domestic legal challenge to the island’s anti-sodomy law, AIDS-Free World’s lawyers, Anika Gray and I (Maurice Tomlinson), will be representing Javed, a young gay man who was kicked out of his home by his landlady when she discovered his sexual orientation.

Protesters fighting against Jamaica TV ban on ‘love and respect’ advert have gathered outside the Jamaican consulate in New York

A group of gay Jamaicans have protested outside the Jamaican consulate in New York against TV stations refusing to air an advertisement promoting respect for gay people.

Jamaican television networks CVM, TVJ and the Public Broadcast Corporation of Jamaica (PBCJ) refused to air ‘Love and Respect’ an advert promoting respect for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people living in Jamaica.

The 30-second video shows Maurice Tomlinson, a gay Jamaican activist, talking to his aunt about not being accepted in the island nation because of his sexuality.

A gay Jamaican activist is suing the government of Belize over its entry ban against homosexuals

Maurice Tomlinson, an LGBT advocate is to challenge Belize’s entry ban on gays in an international court.

Tomilnson, a Jamaican national and legal advisor for the NGO AIDS-Free World has been invited to conduct training and sensitization sessions regarding the rights of individuals infected and affected by HIV and AIDS.

A Jamaican court has begun a historic deliberation on whether two Jamaican TV stations rejection to air paid pro-gay ads breached the country’s constitution

Maurice Tomlinson, a Jamaican gay activist, had recently sued the two station alleging they breached Jamaica's constitutional charter on fundamental rights and freedoms by refusing the air the pro-gay ads.

During the first hearing on 12 December the court assigned three judges for the constitutional case and marked the next formal hearing to take place from 27 to the 31 of May, 2013.

Jamaica's only drop-in center for homeless LGBT youth was closed due to anti-gay sentiments by local authorities and media

The Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-sexuals & Gays (J-FLAG) – a charity organisation, was forced to close down the Caribbean island state’s only drop-in centre for homeless gays which it managed with the Jamaica Aids Support (JAS) organization.

The announcement was made by a J-FLAG representative at a recent meeting in Jamaica's capital, Kingston.

A national study of attitudes towards LGBT found increased support for gay rights, while homophobia is still very prevalent affecting discrimination and HIV infection

A recent study reveals increased support for LGBT rights in Jamaica, particularly amongst the younger generation, while homophobia and negative perceptions of gays and lesbians still present social and health challenges.

The study by Professor Ian Boxill of the University of the West Indies shows that almost two in every five Jamaicans believe the government is not doing enough to protect and promote the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons to freedom from discrimination, violence and other forms of harassment.

Less than three weeks remaining for nominations for the 2013 David Kato Vision and Voice award.

There are now less than three weeks remaining for nominations to be submitted for the 2013 David Kato Vision and Voice Award.

The accolade, named in memory of human rights activist David Kato, who was murdered in his home in Uganda on 26 January 2011, recognizes those working to eliminate violence, stigma and discrimination and demonstrate courage and outstanding leadership in advocating for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people around the world.

Independent international commission criticizes laws that hinder the prevention of HIV

Laws that criminalize homosexuality obstruct HIV prevention, said a report published yesterday by the Global Commission on HIV and the Law.

The report, HIV and the Law: Risks, Rights and Health, is based on first-hand accounts from over 1,000 people in 140 countries. It specifically criticizes countries which penalize homosexual acts with either the death penalty (Iran and Yemen) or long prison sentences (Jamaica and Malaysia).

A film about pride in Latvia, and the state of World Pride in London, both lead Linda Wilkinson to conclude that the visibility such events brings is vital

Uber butch dyke and performer Lea Delaria hosted a panel discussion on Friday (6 July) at Amnesty’s Human Rights Centre in Shoreditch, east London, around a film about the history of LGBT prides in Latvia.

At 90 minutes long, the film pulled no punches. We heard opinions from every quarter, from the hilariously religious mother figure who carried a cross and lay down in an attempt to stop the marches; to the frankly terrifying right wing fascists. Interested and engaged queers were counterbalanced by those who simply wanted to hide in their corner.

London's East End film festival has teamed up with Amnesty International UK this summer to support the festival’s biggest program of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered films.

The Hackney Picturehouse will be screening the award winning film Call Me Kuchu on 5 July. It explores the struggles faced by the LGBT community in Uganda – one focus of the film is on the murder of LGBT activist, David Kato in 2011.